THE EFFICACY OF EXERCISE FOR MINOR CURVATURE ASSOCIATED WITH ADOLESCENT IDIOPATHIC SCOLIOSIS: A REVIEW OF EVIDENCE

Background and Purpose: Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) affects approximately two to five percent of adolescents between the ages of 10-16. Simple observation is typically recommended for adolescents with minor curvatures (Cobb angles measuring less than 20 to 30 degrees). The purpose of this evidence-based review was to explore existing evidence, and determine the physiologic benefits of physical therapy exercise intervention during this observation period. Methods: A review of relevant peer-reviewed articles depicting randomized controlled trials, retrospective studies, or clinical trials related to exercise and scoliosis and dated after 1980 was conducted. The EBSCOhost Academic Search Premier, Google Scholar, American Physical Therapy Association publications, and CINAHL with full text were the search engines used to search for applicable information, and to find peer reviewed articles. The key words that were used in the search included exercise and brace prescription, exercise and functional scoliosis, adolescent idiopathic scoliosis research, scoliosis, idiopathic scoliosis, idiopathic scoliosis therapy, idiopathic scoliosis exercise scoliosis interventions, and functional scoliosis interventions. Results: Eleven articles met the inclusion criteria for this review, with a total of 912 participants using flexibility exercises, resistive exercises or a combination of exercise and bracing. Discussion and Conclusion: The literature offers overwhelming support for the use of exercises for mild AIS during the observation period. Because each individual with AIS is different, there is a need for a comprehensive evaluation of the associated spinal muscle imbalances in combination with theories of spinal motion with respect to the concavities and convexities of each scoliotic spine. With that in mind, exercises should be performed by an individual who is skilled in physiology, kinesiology, and posture, such as a licensed physical therapist.

EPIDEMIOLOGIC RESPONSE TO HOSPITAL-ACQUIRED PNEUMONIA IN THE AGE OF GENOMIC MEDICINE
Author(s): E. William Ebomoyi and Josephine I Ebomoyi

EPIDEMIOLOGIC RESPONSE TO HOSPITAL-ACQUIRED PNEUMONIA IN THE AGE OF GENOMIC MEDICINE

Author(s): E. William Ebomoyi and Josephine I Ebomoyi

This study focused on the impact of hospital acquired pneumonia (HAP) and ventilator-acquired pneumonia (VAP) on patients admitted for other health problems. For the two case studies reported, the onset of pneumonia could have been avoided if the two hospitals had complied with stringent serological methods for combating nosocomial and iatrogenic diseases. The investigators therefore, proposed the establishment of an expert committee for the elimination of HAI and VAP and other diseases in health care settings. Cost-containment for the implementation of such preventive initiatives was proposed. There is the need to apply "DualCap" a recently invented medical device which has been reported to eliminate HAI and other catheter associated infections from patients undergoing medical care.

CONTEXTUAL COMPLICATIONS IN MEDICAL EPIDEMIOLOGY

Author(s): Reed Geertsen

Health professionals and medical sociologists have come to realize that we need to achieve a better balance between quantitative and qualitative research on lifestyle behaviors in order to produce sustainable behavior changes in the at-risk population. This study used a mixed-methods research design (466 standardized questionnaires, 40 qualitative responses, two focus groups) to better understand some of the key contextual complications in lifestyle practices in a largely Mormon population in Northern Utah. The mixed-method data show that social support is essential to achieving a healthy lifestyle based on the Alameda County seven-factor model. However, people in Utah who don't smoke or drink do not score as high on other lifestyle practices as one might expect. Other qualitative responses point to cold winters, stressful living, large families, inconsistent health information, genetics, and unfavorable views of old age as potential barriers to healthy lifestyle practices in this particular population.

Author(s): Susan Finley

Created in 1983 in Los Angeles, The Drug Abuse Resistance Education, D.A.R.E. is a comprehensive drug and violence prevention program for children ranging in ages from kindergarten through 12th grade. The D.A.R.E. program is constantly challenged by the media and advertisements, parental habits, and social interactions with new peer groups nationwide. The literature tells us that well planned and implemented prevention programs are necessary to keep our children safe. Though the rigor of research studies has improved, there continues to be a need for more specifically targeted programs.

PRIVATE SECTOR PARTICIPATION: ITS EFFECT ON HEALTH AND WATER SCARCITY IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
Author(s): Rebecca Elliott

PRIVATE SECTOR PARTICIPATION: ITS EFFECT ON HEALTH AND WATER SCARCITY IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

Author(s): Rebecca Elliott

This paper examines the current water crisis and the effects of private sector participation (PSP), otherwise known as known as water privatization, in third world countries as a potential solution to providing universal access to clean water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH). Access to clean water in the developing world is a major concern that generates many negative implications including high rates of disease and mortality, gender inequality, and economic instability. PSP has created controversy for multiple reasons. Advocates for PSP argue that this provides access to water and sanitation for individuals who would otherwise not have the opportunity. The practice of water privatization has also been useful in deterring the spread of water-related illnesses. Opponents of this concept argue the ethical basis that PSP violates an individual's natural rights to access clean water. Other negative correlations associated with water privatization include limited health benefits in rural areas, inhibited economic stimulation within developing countries, and environmental degradation. Alternative technologies and simple solutions have been created to lessen the growing burden of improper WASH in the developing world including PUR packets, the "Slingshot" water filter, and the Global Soap Project. With the presence of these innovations it is possible to address the issue of WASH without extensively charging developing regions who cannot afford these programs.

STRIKE A BALANCE BETWEEN CHILD ABUSE AND CHILD DISCIPLINE: THE AFRICAN PERSPECTIVE

Author(s): Adebisi G.M. Adedeji

Many children are experiencing abuse. If children who are expected to be in school are found selling goods along the street, it can be considered an abuse. Children denied of human rights are abused. Children from broken homes are prone to abuses. Children without parental concern for proper upbringing, medical care, positive social-exposure and hopefulness for a better tomorrow are grossly abused. Children deserve training rooted in human dignity and prestige. Children need academic upbringing culturally, socially, morally, and economically. Every child needs home training. Charity begins at home but it does not end there. It continues to grow to maturity with academic training. Children become responsible and useful to society when they undergo mental and physical discipline rather than abuse. Productive disciplinary action should not be regarded as punishment. It is rather training that makes the child responsible and grow maturely. Spare the rod and spoil the child, say our elders. "The words of our elders are words of wisdom". This work would suggest that there are two sides to a coin. While any child should not be neglected for proper upbringing, cultural orientation, academic education, social information and parental care, no child should be subjected to any forms of abuse. It should be noted that while a well brought-up child today under disciplinary education becomes a responsible citizen, parent, and effective leader of tomorrow, an abused child may become a problem.

THE ULTIMATE FIGHTING ADVOCACY FOR SPORT SAFETY AND RECOGNITION

Author(s): Mark Orlando

For over the past eighteen-years, competitive mixed martial arts (MMA) has been widely considered both as a sport as well as "human cockfighting". Introduced originally in 1993 by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), the organization promoted MMA as a no holds barred contest pitting the best fighters in the world against one another. The backlash from MMA's violent premise left a bitter taste with many sport enthusiasts and government officials, forcing the UFC to sell the organization in 2000. By 2001, and under new ownership, the UFC instigated rules and regulations in solidifying MMA as a legitimate sport. However, despite the improvements to significant medical MMA safety report findings and safer designed combat sport rules, many critics still wrongly advocate MMA as a spectacle of violence due to its stained perception that was formulated at its conception. Thus, this document seeks to educate critics who may have misperceived notions towards the sport of MMA and its safety amongst combat related sports.

THE TREND OF ECO-FASHION: DOES IT HAVE A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE?
Author(s): Rachel Logan

THE TREND OF ECO-FASHION: DOES IT HAVE A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE?

Author(s): Rachel Logan

As a consumer, it is not clear what ethical and ecological clothing is. It seems far-fetched that our fashion habits could have such an extensive effect on the environment. As harmless as clothing seems, it is becoming a fast-growing opponent. The use of dyes, manufacture of synthetics, and the destruction of habitats have are proof of that fact. Underpaid and overworked employees from third-world countries can also testify that although the job provides for their families, they are not properly compensated for the conditions and toxins they are subjected to. However, more and more retailers and consumers are realizing that natural materials can be made into durable, even chic clothing. These same items can be recycled and remade into new products, allowing one piece of cloth to have an infinite life, or that the clothing item can return to the Earth just as it was extracted. This new trend is not really new at all, because early civilizations used only what the Earth provided, and was not technologically advanced to make artificial articles. Although this fashion phenomenon may decrease international retail markets, the consumer will not cease to expand stylistic boundaries, and the innovation it will breed will change the natural world.

COMMUNICATION AMONG BANGKOK FAMILIES: A MIXED METHODS STUDY

Author(s): Mathurada Charoenthaweesub Rath and John Hitchcock

Good communication within families promotes good relationships among family members. Much is known about U.S. family communication but there are few empirical investigations of Thai families. A mixed methods exploratory research with concurrent-embedded design was employed to study Thai families. Surveys were disseminated to a larger sample and explored family communication patterns and family well-being. This step was followed by a series of interviews. Qualitative inquiry focused on perceptions of family communication, relationships, and well-being. A convenience sample of 128 respondents (66 from high school students and 62 from their parents) completed the revised family communication patterns scale, the family well-being scale, and an open-ended self-report. Later on, seven family dyads were selected to anticipate in in-depth interview (parents were interviewed separately from adolescents). Adolescents reported there was a smaller communication gap with their mothers (69.7%) compared to their fathers (40.7%); 54.8% of parents claimed that they do not have family communication gap with their adolescents and 56.5% stated that they have satisfactory overall family communication. The person(s) to whom adolescents would mostly likely disclose sensitive, personal information is their (1) mother, (2) friends / lovers and (3) father. The most difficult topics to discuss with parents were academics and issues they have with friends and opposite sex relationships. The consensual family communication pattern (31.8%) and a moderate sense of well-being (42.4%) were most reported by adolescents. Meanwhile, the pluralistic pattern is most reported by parents (53.2%) with a high sense of well-being (43.5%). The relation between communication patterns and the well-being was significant (X2 12, 128 = 34.171, pKeywords: Family Communication Patterns, Family Well-Being, Parent-Adolescent Communication, Parent-Adolescent Relationship, Thai Family.